1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a locking apparatus for the change lever of a vehicle, and more particularly to a locking apparatus for the change lever of a vehicle, which has a simple mechanical configuration using no actuator required in an electrical system, thereby being capable of reducing the costs and a limitation on the installation space thereof while eliminating the use of a separate emergency releasing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, vehicles including an automatic transmission have a change lever provided with security means. That is, such a change lever is configured, for a security, in such a fashion that it cannot be operated unless a brake pedal is depressed when the change lever is positioned at a parking range position. Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional locking device for such a security is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2, an actuator 102 is disposed in front of a guide plate 101 adapted to guide a shift of a change lever 103. A locking lever 104 is mounted to the actuator 102 in order to prevent the change lever 103 from being shifted under the condition in which the change lever 103 is positioned at a parking range position. The guide plate 101 is provided with a switch 105 adapted to sense a state in which the change lever 103 is positioned at the parking range position. The switch 105 is electrically connected to an electronic control unit, to which the actuator 102 is also electrically connected. A sensor or switch adapted to sense a depressed state of a brake pedal is also electrically coupled to the electronic control unit.
When the switch 105 senses the state in which the change lever 103 is positioned at the parking range position, and the sensor or switch associated with the brake pedal senses the state in which the brake pedal is not depressed, they inform the electronic control unit of the sensed results. Based on the information from those switches, the electronic control unit prevents the actuator 102 from being actuated. In this state, accordingly, the locking state of the locking lever 104 is not released. As a result, the change lever 103 cannot be shifted.
When the driver depresses the brake pedal under the above mentioned condition, the depression of the brake pedal is recognized by the electronic control unit which, in turn, actuates the actuator 102. In accordance with the actuation of the actuator 102, the locking state of the locking lever 104 is released. As a result, the change lever 103 can be shifted.
However, such a conventional locking device have a drawback in that there is an increase in the costs because it uses the actuator 102 controlled by electrical signals. Furthermore, it is difficult to install the actuator 102 in a limited space because it has a large volume. This results in a difficulty in setting the layout of the vehicle. Where the electrical system is out of order, the locking device cannot operate. In this case, the vehicle cannot be driven. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to install a separate emergency releasing device.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a locking apparatus for the change lever of a vehicle, which has a simple mechanical configuration capable of allowing the change lever to be maintained at a locked state thereof, without using any components of an electrical system, thereby achieving a cost reduction and an easy determination of an installation space thereof while eliminating the use of a separate emergency releasing device.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is accomplished by providing a locking apparatus for a change lever of a vehicle comprising: a pedal-end cable housing arranged in the vicinity of a brake pedal included in the vehicle; a first slide pin slidably mounted in the pedal-end cable housing so that it slides between a first position thereof and a second position thereof; a first spring arranged in the pedal-end cable housing and adapted to always urge the first slide pin toward the first position; a depressing member mounted to a brake pedal included in the vehicle and adapted to depress the first slide pin against a resilience of the first spring unless the brake pedal is depressed, thereby maintaining the first slide pin at the second position; a lever-end cable housing mounted to a change lever case in which a change lever is hingably mounted at a lower end thereof by a hinge pin; a guide pin mounted to the lower end of the change lever so that it conducts an arc movement about the hinge pin in accordance with a hinging movement of the change lever; a second slide pin slidably mounted in the lever-end cable housing and adapted to be selectively engaged with the guide pin, the second slide pin sliding between a first position thereof, in which the second slide pin is disengaged from the guide pin to allow the hinging movement of the change lever, and a second position thereof in which the second pin is engaged with the guide pin to prevent the hinging movement of the change lever; a cable connected between the first and second slide pins and adapted to operatively connect the first and second slide pins to each other so that it urges the second slide pin toward the first position thereof in response to the slide movement of the first slide pin toward the first position of the first slide pin while urging the second slide pin toward the second position thereof in response to the slide movement of the first slide pin toward the second position of the first slide pin; a second spring arranged in the lever-end cable housing and adapted to always urge the second slide pin toward the second position thereof; and an arc-shaped engagement preventing member operatively connected to the guide pin and adapted to allow the slide movement of the second slide pin toward the second position thereof when the change lever is positioned at a parking range position while maintaining the second slide pin at the first position thereof against a resilience of the second spring, when the change lever is positioned at a position other than the parking range position, to allow the hinging movement of the change lever.